At work or at play, persons often spend extended amounts of time outdoors. From farmers to mountain bikers, all manner of people are regularly exposed to the elements, including sun, wind, and cold. Jackets, shirts, pants, gloves and footwear for protection from the elements are widely available, often tailored to individual activities. For protection of the face, there are less options. Hats with big brims are typically used to protect the face from the elements, but such hats do not directly cover the face, and the user's face is subjected to wind, cold, reflected light coming in laterally or from below. Many activities, such as biking and skiing, do not lend themselves to headwear with a large brim, subjecting the user's face to significant UV, wind, and cold stresses.
For some individuals, UV protection is a major concern. Persons with skin damage, persons at risk for or having skin cancer, or persons that have been photosensitized due to medication may require facial UV protection when outdoors to protect skin. Likewise, many persons concerned with aging or stressful effects of UV radiation may seek thorough facial protection.
Various face coverings are known in the art, which provide direct covering of some or all of the face. For example, the standard “buff” is one garment, basically comprising a sleeve, that can be pulled around much of the face and neck to provide some level of protection. Adaptations of the buff, such as the BEARDO™ or AIRHOLE™ faces masks, have portals around the mouth or nose area and add breathability to the standard buff concept. Other less common designs are known which comprise flexible masks and coverings having a wide variety of shapes and forms. However, these prior art designs suffer from limited adjustability.
Adjustability is critical in a facial covering to aid the user in dealing with changing conditions As any outdoors person has experienced, climate conditions are constantly shifting, including changing levels of sunlight, wind, and temperature. Social conditions also change rapidly, and user may wish to have their face thoroughly covered when alone or not socializing and then to quickly uncover their face when interacting with others.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a highly adjustable facial covering that can provide a range of coverage, from full facial coverage to limited coverage, in response to changing conditions and which can be quickly and readily adjusted. It would be advantageous if such a garment can be easily manufactured and is amenable to being made out of a variety of materials to provide a wide range of form and function.
Provided herein is a novel facial covering garment which is highly adjustable, yet retains simplicity in form and manufacturing, comprising just three pieces of fabric or less. The novel facial covering garment of the invention advantageously provides a higher level of adjustability than prior art systems, while retaining a simple, adaptable design which is amenable to use with a variety of fabrics.